That’s why Holbrook – whose roster has no shortage of raw talent – once again finds himself on the hot seat after the Gamecocks (22-13, 8-7 SEC) lost their third consecutive conference series (and second straight home series) to the Mississippi State Bulldogs last week.

Earlier last week, South Carolina was humiliated by Holbrook’s alma mater – the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels put twenty runs on the board against the Gamecocks – prompting a resurgence of the #FireHolbrook hashtag on Twitter.

In fact South Carolina’s late rally against Mississippi State on Sunday – which kept the Gamecocks from getting swept by the Bulldogs – had some fans worried that Holbrook’s team was doing just enough to keep him employed.

Unfortunately, this team may be doing just enough to keep Holbrook from getting fired. #fireholbrook

“It was a big relief for us to win this one today after the way we lost the first two,” Holbrook told reporters after the game. “Live to fight another day and keep our head above water in the SEC. I think this was a significant game.”

Hold up … keep our head above water?

That’s not the standard South Carolina fans have grown accustomed to in recent years.

When Holbrook inherited the Gamecock program from former head coach (and current athletics director) Ray Tanner after the 2012 season, South Carolina had appeared in three consecutive College World Series finals – winning championships in 2010 and 2011.

“The young talent he recruited is paying dividends, and South Carolina is well-positioned for a return to postseason success,” we noted a year ago.

That success failed to materialize during the 2016 postseason, though – and is nowhere to be found this season.

South Carolina has a non-conference tilt against Davidson on Tuesday before traveling to Gainesville, Florida for a three-game series against the similarly-underachieving Gators this weekend. Home SEC series against Kentucky and Georgia remain on the schedule, along with conference road series against LSU and Missouri.

Holbrook remains optimistic his team will turn things around – attributing their poor play thus far to the pressure of “expectations.”

“I think what our players have been through and how we have lost some games, we won some games, too, but I think some of the expectations have been weighing on them,” he told reporters. “Maybe that will make us tougher for the stretch run. I’m a glass half full guy. Maybe there is something in store for this team down the stretch that we will play our best baseball.”

He better hope that’s the case …

Holbrook was associate head coach under Tanner, so he’s likely got a longer leash than most head coaches in his situation. But Tanner needs to remember that he, too, could soon find himself on the hot seat. In addition to baseball’s precipitous decline, the school’s football program has seen its fortunes fade in recent years as well. And Tanner can’t claim credit for the recent success of the school’s men’s and women’s basketball programs – whose coaches were both hired by his predecessor, Eric Hyman.